Overwhelming Life? 3 Tips to Handle Stress

By Ruth | October 2020 | GabbyCommunications.com

This year (2020) has been interesting. When too many life changes are beyond our control, it can quickly stir up anxiety and overwhelming feelings—the perfect stress recipe. While there is no way to remove stress completely, there are a few ways to curb stress impacts.

1.    Create Structure

Stress typically isn’t something that can be controlled, so consider what is within your control and the actions you can take to lower anxious feelings and stressful situations. 

By creating a daily routine, there is structure and consistency which can help decrease uncertainty and potentially improve responses.

My daily schedule can explode with new demands—a child waking up sick or a client who needs immediate assistance. By maintaining a consistent schedule with regular work hours, daily exercise, and drinking water throughout the day, I can lower anxious feelings when unexpected changes occur.  

2.    Streamline Routines

Instead of checking work email when it arrives, I set aside three message times throughout my day to sort through emails and voicemails. By creating a message routine, I can have dedicated time to focus on projects without interruptions. By streamlining my communication routine, I have boosted productivity while still maintaining communications. 

Turning off notifications removes sound and visual distractions. Gone are the workdays when I was pulled in too many directions because I reacted to emails and voicemails as they arrived instead of proactively using a routine for communications. 

3.    State Affirmations & Gratitude

Compared to other countries, we (Americans) are blessed. Most citizens have access to running water, some transportation, and technology.

By taking a few minutes each day to appreciate the good can change a perspective while lowering stress. Positive affirmations help focus the mind on what is going well. Affirmations can influence how a person thinks, boosting moods and recognizing that happiness can be a choice.

Additional Considerations–Exercise & Emotions

With more than 600 muscles in the human body, humans were made to move and not spend countless hours with inactivity. Simple daily movements such as deep breathing, stretching, and exercising can lower stress and help with coping skills.

Feeling nothing is not okay. Feeling anxious or stressed signals to the body to prepare for escape or to fight danger.  

If a lack of emotions is your choice, it can be a protective measure to avoid stressful situations. For example, choosing not to engage with an aggressive person. It’s normal to have (and feel) emotions. If a traumatic event has caused emotional detachment, seek support from a healthcare provider. 

There is no way to control life. But there are ways to lower stress like creating structure, streamlining routines, and making positive life choices such as exercising and appreciating what you have.